Mayor to Houstonians: Donate money where it'll do some good

Late last year, Mayor Bill White announced a series of initiatives designed to reduce panhandling on city streets, one of which was a campaign to encourage Houstonians to give money directly to organizations that help needy people rather than "[doleing] it out in $1 increments at red lights." And now he's moving forward with that plan, sending out letters asking for financial support for a campaign encouraging Houstonians to "refrain from giving money to panhandlers or street solicitors."

Mayor Bill White said the idea is easy, “Don’t fight the impulse to give. But don’t give to people who are out there begging on the streets. We don’t know what happens to all that money. We know that a lot of it doesn’t fight the root causes of homelessness. Plus it’s an annoyance.”

White said it's not just about discouraging panhandlers — he also wants to see increased donations to the nonprofit groups that help the homeless. The mayor is also planning a radio ad campaign targeting citizens, which should begin next month.

We understand the reasoning behind this: We've heard time and again that it's much better to give to organizations than to individuals and that anyone needing help can get it, and we've also heard the same old fake stories from dozens of panhandlers (how many broken fan belts can there really be?). But we wonder just how effective the city's anti-panhandling campaign will be, with limited enforcement of existing laws and a population that would probably rather pass a dollar through their car windows than take the time to make a donation to a nonprofit.